NEW YORK — Early on in his career with the Houston Astros, J.D. Martinez was trying to find his way.
He was a 20th round pick out of Division II Nova Southeastern — less than an hour north of his native Miami. In his first three seasons with the Astros, he was back and forth between the minor leagues and far from the polished hitter he would become later in his career.
As he looked to become a better player, Martinez sought out help in the Astros clubhouse. In his own words, the veterans "weren't very nice."
"I remember seeing that and asking questions, and them kind of never answering, and them kind of blowing me off and just making my life a nightmare," Martinez said. "I remember saying, ‘If God ever blesses me where I'm in that position, I'm never going to treat a young guy like that, and I'll always answer any questions and help them out any which way,’ because I remember how helpless that feeling was and going through that whole process."
After a standout 14-year career, Martinez, who was a six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and 2018 World Series champion, will be able to provide the mentorship that he felt he had been lacking early in his career as a special assistant to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.
What will J.D. Martinez's role with the Mets look like?
Martinez said his goal in his new role since playing his last major league game with the Mets in 2024 is to be a resource for the major league team. He feels like he has an experience that can relate with much of the roster, from being a top prospect, to being cut, to rising to one of the best hitters in the game, working through struggles and ultimately retiring.
"Just my knowledge with that and just helping any way I can, anything I see, whether it's in the offense, whether it's the strategy, whether it's mentorship, I'm just here to help out any way I can," Martinez said.
The Mets now have a Hall of Famer in Carlos Beltran and decorated hitter in Martinez as sounding boards for the players.
The addition of Martinez as a designated hitter right before the 2024 seasons served as one of the Mets' pivotal moves in the campaign. While he batted a modest .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs, 69 RBI and 46 runs, the veteran had a commanding presence as a leader inside the clubhouse.
"It brings back memories to 2024 when he was a huge part for us and the impact, not only on the field but off the field, his knowledge," Carlos Mendoza said of having Martinez back. "Right away yesterday, having those interactions with him and watching him in the cages with the boys, behind the cage in batting practice, it's just the presence to it, not only with J.D. but having Carlos around too.
"Those are great baseball minds, not only in the hitting department but just baseball in general."
Along with the addition of Jose Iglesias, the Mets made a massive turnaround, clawing from 11 games under .500 to clinching a playoff spot on the final day of the season. That run helped endear Martinez to the Mets organization.
"I like what they're doing here. I like the team they built here," Martinez said. "I had a great experience here with the front office, with ownership, with the clubhouse, everything. It was just a really fun place to come. So I said, ‘You know what? Why not? Let's do it.’"
On coming out of retirement
Martinez said he finally put the bat down last spring after trying to prepare to land another spot with a major league team. He left his batting gloves and a bat at a facility after working out at a facility in Miami and never went back.
The Miami native finished his career with a career .863 OPS, including 331 home runs, 1,071 RBI, 897 runs and a bWAR of 30.8.
He used last summer to clear his mind after more than three decades playing baseball year-round. Martinez's Instagram showcases a summer filled with deep-sea fishing and professional pickleball.
But on Monday and Tuesday, it was back on the diamond at Citi Field. He expects to be in steady communication with this year's team with anything they need while coming to New York monthly for a homestand to be around the players.
And maybe he can have his fingerprints on another deep postseason run, albeit in a new, unfamiliar role.
"Obviously, at the beginning of the year, they weren't really scoring, they're starting to score a little bit more now," Martinez said. "Adding Freddy (Peralta) too is huge and the pitching staff, they've added, they're a threat. It's a really good baseball team."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: JD Martinez a mentor in NY Mets role to David Stearns
